Danube Bike and Boat Cycling Tour

For eight days, a premium river ship is your floating hotel. You sleep in an outward-facing cabin with private shower and air conditioning, and full board is included: a breakfast buffet, a packed lunch on cycling days (or lunch on board if you stay aboard), an afternoon coffee break, dinner with a choice of dishes and a midnight snack. A tour guide on board and a daily information meeting prepare you for each stage, a musician sets the mood in the evenings, and the week closes with a gala dinner and farewell cocktail.

Day 1: Passau
You arrive in Passau, the three-river city with a Mediterranean touch. Before boarding between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m., wander through the baroque old town and step into the cathedral, home to the world's largest church organ. After the captain's welcome cocktail, the ship casts off and Passau slips away in the evening light.

Day 2: Engelhartszell – Brandstatt (approx. 45 km)
Your first ride follows the old towpath through the Upper Danube valley, past sleepy villages, dense forest and freshly mown meadows. Rustic inns tempt you with fish grilled on a stick in the traditional way. From the Schlögen viewpoint, you will look down on the great loop where the Danube cuts through a gorge and doubles back on itself.

Day 3: Brandstatt – Linz (approx. 24 km)
A short morning ride brings you to Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, by midday. You can join a guided walk through the old town, see Austria's largest church and ride the Pöstlingbergbahn, one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world. At the Ars Electronica museum, you can try out the technologies of the future for yourself.

Day 4: Tulln – Vienna (approx. 31 km)
Today you pedal towards the gates of Vienna. The dome of the 900-year-old Klosterneuburg Monastery appears long before you arrive. Near the pier, the wine taverns of Kahlenbergerdorf are well worth a stop, and a short walk through the vineyards rewards you with a panoramic view over the city.

Day 5: Vienna (day of rest)
A whole day in Vienna, at your own pace. Explore the sights by bike or on the optional hop-on hop-off bus. The grand Ringstrasse recalls the imperial era, coffee houses tempt you with cakes and pastries, and the Naschmarkt is a feast for the senses. In the evening, you can end the day at an optional waltz and operetta concert in Schönbrunn Palace.

Day 6: Wachau: Krems – Melk (approx. 37 km)
Today belongs to the Wachau, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape. You will ride through wine villages framed by terraced vineyards and apricot trees, wander the narrow lanes of Dürnstein and taste the renowned Wachau wines in Spitz.

Day 7: Grein – Mauthausen (approx. 36 km)
From medieval Grein, home to Austria's oldest theatre, you will cycle into the green hinterland of the Strudengau. With a little luck, the lord of Clam Castle will show you around in person. The Celtic Village in Mitterkirchen takes you back in time, and the Mauthausen Memorial stands on a hill above the town.

Day 8: Passau
Enjoy the morning calm from the sun deck one last time as the ship returns to Passau. Disembarkation is at around 11:00 a.m., so plan onward connections for after 12:00 noon, or later to be safe.